Early Sonic Boom character designs were 'traumatic' for Sonic Team

Have the character designs in the upcoming Sonic Boomby Big Red Button Entertainment ruffled your fur and/or quills? It could always be worse. Bob Rafei, CEO of Big Red Button, told GameSpot that early designs were downright "traumatic" for Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka.

"Early on, when we had our first review of all the crazy things we wanted to try, Iizuka-san came down to Los Angeles and looked through all the different concepts," Rafei said. "I felt sorry for the guy because sometimes he couldn't actually look at the screen ... it was too traumatic seeing all the crazy stuff we wanted to do."

Rafei said the team experimented with different colors, as well as adding features like fur and scales, but that such designs would have made Sonic "a lot more alien and different from what [the character] is known for." As for the scarf and sports tape that raised so many eyebrows? Rafei said those items are there to show that the heroes are practical, and not vain.

"From my perspective, it was important the characters have a practical heroism to them and not vanity, which is more fitting for villains," Rafei said. "When the world is in jeopardy, you don't have time to worry about what you look like."